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The Dramatis Personae of Christmas


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The birth of Christ brings with it a collection of characters to life, recognition, light, fame, or infamy. His birth recognizes the contraries in the different characters on the stage of life. It is a binary of low and high, small and great, poor and rich, daft and smart, good and evil, and foolish and wise. These characters played active roles in his coming: The unborn child, Mary, the Virgin Mother, Joseph, his Foster Father, The Shepherds, The Angels, The Three Wise Men, The Donkey, King Herod, and The Soldiers.

How do these characters and their roles reflect who I am and my thinking this Christmas and every day of my life?

The Unborn Child

He is an unborn child in Mary’s womb. Before he dwelt among us, he was first in the womb of a woman called a virgin. Probably, Mary was faced with the problems most women face today. The problem is associated with carrying a child in the womb. She might have thought about pro-choice and pro-life. The child in her womb was conceived of the Holy Spirit. Not by her husband, Joseph. She was not even consulted but was only told by Angel Gabriel. She has options: either to say ‘no’ or ‘yes’. She says: ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord be it done to me according to your words.’ Her ‘yes’ is pro-choice, and her choice is pro-life.

Some other people could say ‘no’. Still, it is within the individual’s right to say ‘no’. Such an individual’s ‘no’ is also pro-choice, and the person’s choice is pro-life. Bear in mind, the discussion above is not within the context of procuring abortion but rather, in the sense of having the full God-given freedom to his children.  

Mary, the Virgin Mother

Mary’s virgin conception puts into perspective the experiences of first-time pregnant women and first-time mothers. Imagine the anxiety, the nerves, the joy of having a baby and bringing a life into the world, the happiness of being a pro-creator, the worry about the gender of the child (as in some cultures), the fear of whether she is carrying twins, triplets, quadruplets, quintuplet sextuplets or septuplets. Imagine how her heart and souls seek to negotiate with the face of her husband for approval of the new-born child.   

Joseph, the Foster Father

Another character in this redemptive play is Joseph. What a kind and enduring man he is. A man who is ready to take ownership and responsibility and become a father to a child that is not his. He represents many foster parents of today who make conscious efforts to provide homes and love to children everywhere. This is another example of pro-choice and pro-life.

The Shepherds

In their rustic living, the shepherds are among the first to behold the unsophisticated infant of a virgin mother and a foster father whose profession is carpentry. Cold or warmth makes no difference to them so long as they tend their flock. Shepherds are animal keepers. Many are keepers of peace and order. Think about the police, the guards, the military personnel, the conservationists, the animal rescuers, the orphanages, and more. They are human shepherds.

The Angels

They bear good news of great joy for all people. Their messages have no boundaries. They bring good news to anyone who deserves it: to Mary, to Joseph, to Zachariah, to the shepherds, to the three wise men, and to you. Be that angel of good news to anyone and everyone around you. Consider this, the just-in-time angel once again appears immediately after the visit by the three wise men. He tells Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus because King Herod seeks the child to kill him.

The Three Wise Men

They ask their way through faraway countries seeking the newborn child. They meet a fellow king hoping to get answers from him. He receives them but sends them away to find out more about the new king and bring him information about the king. Led by the star, they are guided to Bethlehem. On seeing the child and mother, they offer him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As pro-lifers and pro-choicers, they did not go back to Herod but went home another way.

The Donkey

The flight into Egypt is often depicted in images where Mary rides a donkey carrying the infant, Jesus while Joseph holds the bridle but no bit. The donkey serves Mary and Joseph like a taxi, ambulance, or even police vehicle that races to pick up or deliver people. We can see different emergency services at his birth to ensure that no harm befalls him. The child migrated with his parents to Egypt. Human migration is a state of the past, a case of the present, and perhaps, a consolidation of the future.

King Herod

Furious that a new king is about to take over his authority, king Herod is consumed with hatred and fear. He is determined to root out the child. Evil takes over him. He sees nothing but envy, replacement, displacement, or even desolation. You can see the actions of Herod in today’s leaders.  

The Soldiers

They commit infanticide. This is the crime of killing a child within a year of its birth. Herod commanded his soldiers to do the unthinkable; to kill all children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under. They commit both infanticide and homicide. Many children are dying in our world at the hands of maniacal potentates. So many children are dying because of famine, diseases, hunger, and migrations. What can we do about that?

Examining this dramatis personae of Christmas, you can pick where you belong. Are you like Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and angels or are you like Herod and his soldiers? For the unborn child, it cannot speak or pick for itself. You are to choose. Which one will you choose?

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